


Fence

by Astra_M



Series: The Scent of Grass and Flowers [4]
Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:42:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25953928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Astra_M/pseuds/Astra_M
Summary: She gripped the fence bars tightly, grateful for their unyielding security. Nothing would happen as long as she kept them in between.
Relationships: Nara Shikamaru/Yamanaka Ino
Series: The Scent of Grass and Flowers [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1883662
Comments: 1
Kudos: 22





	Fence

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written in October 2006

It was close to midnight and the darkness inside the Yamanaka household felt absolute. Yet ironically for a girl who was a creature of the daylight, tonight it felt like a dear friend. She huddled in her bedroom listening to the sounds of the night, lost in a turmoil of thoughts, waiting and wondering… until she heard the pebble striking her window.

Ino shivered.

Quietly, with all her ninja trained stealth, she tiptoed across the floor and slid the window open. She paused, ears straining to detect the faintest sound of movement stirring within the house… but the silence continued. Heaving a sigh of relief, Ino slowly leaned out the window and looked down. And then her heart began to race with another kind of anxiety.

He was standing in the street directly below looking up at her. The fierce expression in his dark eyes sent a bolt of lightning through her nerves. Ino found herself grasping the ledge firmly, feeling the need to steady herself.

“Come out, Ino,” Shikamaru whispered.

Ino wobbled under a feeling so intense it threatened to squeeze the breath out of her. 

“No, Shikamaru,” she whispered back as loudly as she dared. “Don’t do this. Go home… please.”

His face darkened as if he had expected her to say that. But instead of turning to leave, his eyes seemed to grow fiery. Ino discovered she couldn’t look away from the intense gaze now directed at her.

“I’m not leaving.”

Why did he have to say stubborn things like that? Taking a deep breath, she fought to keep her voice steady lest it betray her. To her horror, what came out sounded more like a plea than a reprimand:

“Please… I can’t.”

Shikamaru seemed to think so, too. He took a step forward.

“I’m coming up then.”

She could see that he was really going to do it. Ino knew she had to stop him; if she didn’t, if Shikamaru got inside her room again…

“No! Wait… I’m going down. To the gate.”

Ino pulled herself back into the room without waiting for a reply, feeling at a complete loss as to what she should do. She knew that coming down to him was a step in the wrong direction, but what other choice did she have? She had to persuade him to leave for his own good… and hers.

Sliding out her bedroom door, Ino paused in the hallway to listen again. Her heart hammering in fear, she felt like a frightened mouse in her own home, yet with good cause. She had no desire to awaken the sleeping tiger within.

A few tense minutes later, she succeeded in slipping out the back door of the house without incident. Pausing again to gather her resolve, Ino looked across the small enclosed yard towards the back gate. Her heart began to race again – Shikamaru was already standing there, just outside the fence. She hurried towards him. 

“It’s the middle of the night! Why are you here?” Ino scolded quietly. But she still drew up against the fence, as close to Shikamaru as she dared. Even so, she gripped the fence bars tightly, grateful for their unyielding security. Nothing would happen as long as she kept them in between.

Likewise leaning up against the bars, Shikamaru appeared no less undeterred than before. “You know why,” he answered, wrapping his hands around hers. “Or are you in the habit of sitting up late for no reason?”

Ino blushed, conscious of the way his fingers were rubbing along her hands. She struggled to speak more firmly, but even she could tell that her voice was filled more with worry than anger.

“Shikamaru, I’m serious. You shouldn’t be here. If he finds out, if he catches us again…!” 

“I’m not afraid of your father.”

“You ought to be. I’m afraid – for you!”

Although Ino hoped this reminder would bring him to his senses, her warning had the opposite effect. Shikamaru’s eyes softened and a small half-smile played about his mouth. He reached through the fence to stroke her cheek, and Ino felt her skin begin to heat up under the graze of his fingers. Why did his touch make her feel so weak?

“Come out,” he murmured.

“I… I…” she stammered.

Shikamaru’s hand slid down along her neck, and suddenly Ino’s back arched involuntarily as he slowly caressed the sensitive area at its base. A gasp of pleasure and shock escaped her mouth. He’d only recently discovered that particular trick, and she was surprised that he would stoop to using it now. This was bad. He was only growing bolder. She ought to pull away…

But as if reading her thoughts, Shikamaru grasped Ino firmly by the neck and pulled her forward. Pushing against the barrier of the fence, his mouth found hers, and he kissed her so fiercely that she felt her head grow light. She could hardly feel her hands clinging to the rails, which she dimly realized was the only reason she was still standing. How could it be that this bold, passionate man had been hiding behind a slacker’s facade all these years? What madness had she unleashed?

Too soon for Ino, Shikamaru broke the kiss and stepped away. Without his support, she found herself sagging helplessly against the bars. Blinking dazedly as she gazed up at him, Ino shivered again: the fierce glow had returned to his eyes.

“I want you, Ino,” he urged softly. “Come out to me.”

Walking in a dream, Ino sensed her hand moving as if by its own volition towards the gate latch. Lifting it gently, she swung open the gate and passed outside the fence. One last step and she was in his arms again.

“Yes, Shikamaru,” she whispered.

He took her by the hand and led her out into the night.


End file.
